I've spent quite a lot of time lately cleaning up all my bookmarks. I ran across this site I've been saving forever and it's the perfect time to post this wonderful tutorial since summer's over and there are tons of seeds to be saved. This is the ultimate recycling project that looks like a lot of fun.

"The intent of seed tape is to make planting easier when you have teeny tiny seeds that need to be planted just inches apart (like carrots and radishes). But it’s also fun for gifting flower seeds or giving away seeds you’ve collected from your own garden. And it’s a pretty simple and very kid-friendly project." How to Make Your Own Seed Tape

Don't forget this little seed planting rhyme:"One for the fox, one for the crow, one to rot, and one to grow."

Sunday, September 12, 2010

It's cold and rainy here at the Cottage today. I have to go out later but not before I locate my Irish fisherman knit sweater. Brrrr. I hope you are nice and cozy at your house. It is supposed to be hot again next week. I miss summer already. The photo above is from last year. My geraniums still have flowers but not this many. I've been neglecting them lately. I'll be bringing them inside for the winter all too soon.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

I was just about to turn off the computer when I came across this photo on Pixdaus and had to share. I guess the mother swan is trying to tire out the little ones so they will sleep through the night. Goodnight all. See you tomorrow. via

Does anyone know if there is a template for making these paper flowers? I love them. The appear to be one piece. I guess you must score them towards the center to make them take on the form of a flower. Help, please. Leave a comment if you know how these are made. [image source]

Friday, September 10, 2010

Upcoming book with over 800 wonderful photographs available around October 2010. The following video is a preview much like a movie trailer filled with vintage luggage from the 'Guilded Age of Travel'. My favorite is the last trunk in the video filled with antiquarian books. Pre-publication orders now being taken.

The photo above is the 2010 calendar. I haven't made one for 2011 yet. I am including pdf templates for both 2010 and 2011 at the end of this post.

This was my #1 most popular download last year. The 12-sided calendar is also known as a regular dodecahedron. The upcoming year (2011) will be my 4th year with one of these on my desk. It's pretty tricky to assemble - especially at the end when you feel you need another set of hands. Do all cutting, scoring, and folding first; then all you have to do is to remember to do NOVEMBER last. It is the only month that doesn't have any fold-over tabs. It is helpful to have a chopstick handy to poke inside to assist in securing anything that's not sticking or properly aligned.This prevents bending the paper. I used card stock and scored all the dotted lines with the sharp tip of a compass guided by a see-thru ruler. Cut out whole design before scoring and folding. Cut solid lines, score dotted lines. I also had to adjust the pdf to "fit to printable area" since without that correction some of the outside edges did not print on my printer. If this is your first attempt you might want to experiment first with regular paper before jumping to cardstock. I am publishing this super early this year in case you want to make some for holiday gifts. People love them and everybody needs one. You can't beat the price either. One sheet of paper, some glue and your time. The ultimate home-made present that will be used every day next year. Perfect!

HINT: Before you start scoring and folding you might want to use a highlighter to mark any dates that you need to remember such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

Download PDF 2011 Calendar Template here.(showing SUNDAY as the first day of the week)I just learned how to make this adjustment.Most American calendars show Sunday as the first day of the week.I'm going to use this template to make my 2011 calendar.